Why are so many people so helpful on Twitter?

Some people are helpful because it’s easy, or they figure out that they can help themselves by helping others. Others come to Twitter because it’s the best place in the world to help others! No matter who you are or why you’re here, Twitter can help you if you help others.

► Power to the people

The first reason is because it’s easy! Simply by retweeting something, in one or two clicks you spread valuable information. For example, I know a lot of people that search for pets waiting for adoption in their area and then tweet about specific ones. Their local friends then retweet, and together they have built a network for finding new homes for animals. (Take this idea and find other good causes local to your area that you can support!)

And in areas of political unrest, people have used Twitter and social media to protect others, by making information about arrests and perpetrators of violence public in real time, in addition to organizing and reaching out to media worldwide.

► Everyone is an expert to someone

With so many people on Twitter, you can always find someone you can help, and someone who can help you. Often it starts with sharing what you’ve learned about how to use Twitter with someone who is newer here. It’s satisfying to solve a frustration for someone else that was once a frustration for you—it’s called empathy

► Reputation building

Even cynics can be successful by putting in some time helping here and there. The more you help, the more others find it valuable to connect with you and promote you to others. I love how some people whose hearts really are NOT in the right place still put on their helping attitude and do some good on Twitter. While they haven’t changed their cynical world view (yet) they still see the benefits to their reputation of doing some good publicly.

► The very finest people in the world are on Twitter

Twitter has such incredible power to amplify a mission of helping others that nearly 100% of the finest people in the world are on it now. It’s amazing that a tool used by so many for little more than random chatter is a channel of communication for the giants of the human race. Twitter even spreads the life missions of those greats that have passed on, through all the people that quote them!

Which kind of person are you?

Probably my favorite thing about Twitter is how people get caught up in helping others without expecting that they would. First you find it’s easy, then you stumble across someone you can help, and soon you find people are connecting with you because of your positive reputation. And—hopefully, eventually—you become one of the finest people in the world yourself!